Posts Tagged ‘discrimination’
Is recruitment in Australia still dominated by bias, racism and sexism?
In the run up to International Women’s Day this past Tuesday, I couldn’t help but notice a couple of news articles that were a sobering reminder that many people responsible for recruitment are still operating from a mindset that remains from last century. The first was reported in industry news service, ShortList: SEEK data reveals…
Read MoreA recruitment agency for beautiful people: focused or flawed?
If you are a regular social media user you may have noticed that London-based recruitment agency Matching Models, has come under fire for advertising for a personal assistant with “a classic look, brown long hair with b-c cup“. Discussing the controversial ad, Matching Group owner, Nathalie Jansen said: “The client who wants the specific cup size is…
Read MoreBanjo PR Disaster: The well-meaning but incompetent interviewer
Two weeks ago, Sydney advertising agency, Banjo , found itself in the middle of a social media storm when one of its hiring managers, at the end of an interview, said to the candidate (of Sri Lankan origin): “the client might be alarmed by having three brown skin people attend a meeting.” SmartCompany reported as…
Read MoreName-blind recruitment: A step we need to take?
In my first year as a recruiter, back in 1989 London, I was working on an enthusiastic young candidate. She was confident, capable and interviewed well. Whenever I followed up with the client after forwarding her resume, I was greeted with a range of rather odd-sounding reasons not to interview her. When I asked my…
Read MoreSome slave labour with your free range chicken?
Anybody that viewed the recent 4 Corners ‘Slaving Away’ report (4 May, 2015) would have been absolutely appalled, as I was, at what they learned. Reporter Caro Meldrum-Hanna lifted the lid on sham labour-hire contractors (to classify those operators exposed by 4 Corners as ‘labour-hire firms’ insults the vast majority of the ndustry who pride…
Read MoreToo ugly or too blonde: The dilemmas and traps of looks discrimination
Recently I read about the Victorian Equal Opportunity Commission’s employment-based complaints from potential employees relating to perceived appearance-based discrimination. In the past five years there have been 107 complaints about discrimination based on obesity, 96 complaints about being too ugly or blonde and 22 for tattoos or piercings, to name just three specific discriminatory categories. My first…
Read MoreA Lesson in Humility by John Colebatch
Prompted by my lead article last week, Sydney-based executive recruiter John Colebatch contacted me to share a few amusing reminisces from his 24 years as a recruiter (John started his recruitment career in 1989, four months after I started mine). Included in his stories was a link to an article he wrote three years ago…
Read MoreExile on Main Street: Older job seekers feel unwanted
Six weeks ago Federal Employment Participation Minister, Kate Ellis unveiled the first national report into employment barriers for older workers, The 2011-12 National Survey on the Barriers to Employment for Mature Age People. Ellis was reported as saying the following; that 36% of mature age job seekers had experienced aged-related exclusion during job searches,…
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